Getting Ahead in the World
by NerdyWriterGirl
Summary: A series of one-shots, probably mostly head canon. Stories I want to read so I wrote them instead. Each story has its own rating. Taking suggestions for future one-shots! Currently: The portal changed Danny, but how much?
1. Ghost Language

**I know I should be writing the next chapter for "Capture" but I got bored and I've been wanting to do this for a while. This will be a series of one-shots, mostly head canon of mine. There will be Clockwork, there will be Vlad (That's actually the next one-shot I have planned...) there will be some revelation fics there may be some... just... stuff. These are the things I love to read about, so decided to write about. **

**A/N: In my head, Danny's ghost half's name was never given as "Danny Phantom", but just as "Phantom". This is and will be true for all of my fics, just so you know. **

**I don't own Danny Phantom. There. I said it. Can I finish this note now?**

**This one-shot is rated K.**

**00000000000**

I had heard ghost language before. Vlad had first come up with the theory a couple of weeks after he had been hospitalized. It was unfortunate that we hadn't kept in touch long after that, with the ghost portal failure, and Jack finally asking me out, life had just gotten a little hectic.

I didn't think much of his idea, just filed the hard copy of his paper away with the rest of my papers on ghosts. It wasn't until I saw my first ever ghost did I pay it any mind.

The thing had appeared at the high school, a giant meat monster, screaming at us in some gibberish. That was the first time we had ever seen the ghost boy too, fighting the beast and disappearing.

Since then, Jack and I had tried to study the language, learn it, if possible. He invented the Ghost Gabber, translating it with minor errors. And we heard it daily. The deep echo of some ghost, with the playful-sounding returns from the ghost boy. Jack tried to compare it to German, or Russian, but nothing really came close.

But I had never heard ghost language spoken like that one time in the park before.

I had been out on a night patrol, later than usual, Jack away at a convention, when I had located some unusually high pure ectoplasm readings. Jack and I had sent many probes into the ghost zone, and found out that it's the only place you can ever get high pure energy readings. Even the most powerful ghost, like Phantom, gave off non-pure ectoplasmic energy.

The only thing that could be in our world giving off that kind of reading was a portal.

After the Pariah Dark incident, both Jack and I had been very careful to look out for portals. I rushed over to the location, which happened to be The Amity Park.

Incredibly wary of the possible impending invasion, I decided to go heavy on ecto-guns. I made sure the pockets of my suit were full of ghost hunting gear before grabbing the Fenton Bazooka and heading off.

I clicked the switch on our tracker to silent before stealthily heading to the spot. It was in a pretty heavily forested area, and it was a good fifteen minute walk until I reached it.

_The portal reading disappeared... _I thought to myself and I crept up behind a bush to a small clearing.

When I saw into the clearing, I froze in shock. I never expected what I had stumbled upon.

As a scientist, the widely accepted truth is that ghosts are inherently selfish beings, much like humans are. The fact is that as ghosts, they are only a one-dimensional being, emotionally. They are an imprint of their former consciousness. Some can remember their deaths, or the feelings at the moment of death, but without the full human spectrum of emotions, a solid consequence or conscience when they cause harm, or humanity, ghosts can only advance in a way beneficial to their own wants, therefore destroying those around them. This is one of the main pillars of ghost hunting.

But Phantom, the number one cause of destruction in Amity Park was standing in the middle of the clearing. Not floating, not flying, but standing. He had a big smile on his face, electric eyes bright and face flushed a slight green. There was another ghost with him, who was talking to him.

The second being was not one I had ever seen before. He was dressed in all purple, and what I could see of his face told me his skin tone was as well. He had a spectral tail, therefore was floating, and seemed to have a clock built into his chest. His eyes were red, unlike Phantoms, and took up the entire iris, pupil, and sclera. He appeared to be changing forms every once and a while, shifting from child to adult, adult to elder, then back to a child.

They were speaking in the ghost language, but this seemed a little different. It sounded different than the usual rough speech. Their voices were in low tones, and Phantom seemed to be blending both Ghost and English as he talked. It made for a musical language, comparable to French, but almost song-like. The other ghost seemed to understand his blend, although he only spoke Ghost back to the boy. I was surprised. Very few ghosts knew English, and very even fewer knew more than a few words. You could always hear attacking ghosts screaming "Run!" or "Fear me!" with their heavy accent. Phantom was one of the only ones I had come across who was fluent.

I just sat there for a while, listening to them speak. It was mesmerizing to watch, and I quickly found myself enjoying it. So much so, that I almost found myself drifting into a hypnotic half-awake state. But then Phantom said something that jarred me to awareness.

"Clockwork, I really appreciate your help." He said to the ghost, Clockwork, smile growing.

"You know that I took responsibility for you when I interfered with the future." Clockwork replied, face and voice even. He shifted into a child.

"I know, but you could have, I don't know, let me go and never talk to me again. I just… like having someone to talk to."

"You have your two friends to talk to-…"

"Yes, I know, and I do talk to them. But, all the other stuff you've done. The extra training sessions, helping me make peace with some of my enemies, letting me talk in Hybrid at you…"

Clockwork changed into an adult. "I understand it is difficult for you to speak in either English or Ghost, and I am happy to be here for you. That is my responsibility as your guardian." He let a small smile play onto his lips, before saying something in ghost.

Phantom gasped, and whirled around to my hiding spot. Our eyes met, and suddenly Clockwork was gone in a flash of purple with the fading image of hands on a clock.

I stood up, shouldering the bazooka, and pointed it at him. As a class eight ghost, I knew the weapon would give him no more than a small burn, but it simply boosted my confidence.

"Phantom." I addressed him.

His eyes were cautious as he studied me, as if assessing what I was going to do next. "Maddie." He finally replied, a slight echo to his voice. "You were eavesdropping. That's… a bit rude." He gave a small smile, most likely an attempt to show no ill-will.

"It's a public park. I can come and go as I please." I retorted. The air was thick with tension, I could feel him waiting for me to do something, as I was doing the same.

He let out a small laugh. "I guess that's true."

I was out-gunned. Phantom was more powerful than me and we both knew it. He was just waiting for me to make the first move so he could decide whether to take flight or fight. I finally made a decision, against all of the instincts.

I let the bazooka drop to the ground, letting go and holding my hands up in a show of surrender.

"What did you do that for?" He asked, eyes wide with shock.

"Look, Phantom, you've been able to take me for a long time and we both know it. So either fly away to wherever it is you go, or stick around. I think I'd like to have a chat." I was immensely curious, and this was the first time I've ever had a chance to talk to Phantom. Whenever I see him, either Jack was shooting at him and he was flying the opposite direction as quickly as possible, or he was busy fighting another ghost. Neither time was optimal for talking.

Phantom was flabbergasted, to say the least. For a minute, I thought he was going to disappear from pure shock. He seemed to be able to compose himself rather quickly, though.

"Alright then. What do you want to talk about?"

**00000000000000**

**In my head, this is a couple of years after TUE, and after the 'Dan Incident' Clockwork took Danny under his wing, training him. Maddie and Jack have gotten a little more used to Phantom being around, and Maddie just kind of accepts his presence, even though Jack continues to shoot at him. **

**I'll try to have another written and up within a couple of weeks. Reviews are always nice. Tell me your favorite head canon! Maybe I'll write a story about it! I'll accept any ideas for stories into consideration.**

**Later Gator, **

**NerdyWriterGirl**


	2. Humans

**Alright, so, my next chapter posted was going to be Capture. This is obviously not that. I also promised to have this chapter up within a couple of weeks. That didn't happen either. Another promise I failed to keep is that this chapter would be about Vlad. Sorry. **

**I apologize for the delay and the fact that this is not chapter five of Capture. The truth is that my computer is very broken and I am typing this midst various angry beeping noises and a phantom mouse that does not like to sit still. This chapter is very unedited and I'm pretty sure out of character, and for that, I apologize. **

**Truth is, school starts in two days and after that I don't think I'll have much time for writing, especially with color guard three days a week for three hours. On the plus side, my new laptop gets here on the ninth, and I may want to take it out for a spin and write the fifth chapter. The next chapter here will be after that one, so I can balance my two fics (whew.) **

**This is short. I'm sorry. It's the beeping noises. I can't stand them. **

**ME NO OWN. KAY.**

**This is also rated K. Nothing huge. DxS if you want it to be. If not, they are just friends. My head canon about the way Danny thinks and how the accident changed that. **

**00000000000000000**

It was Sam who first noticed how Danny was changing.

It started out with little things, something she wrote off as a slip of the tongue or an accident. It wasn't until about nine months after the accident that she realized how different her best friend had become.

It was a normal day, summer, only a couple weeks after their freshmen year had ended. Danny and Sam were both fifteen, leaving Tucker the youngest with his birthday a month away. The trio was sitting about a block away from the popular hang-out, The Nasty Burger, on a park bench. Sam munched on her super soy salad sandwich while the boys inhaled mighty meaty melts.

Across the park, a couple was clearing having a heated argument, too far away for Sam or Tucker to overhear.

But not Danny.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked him, studying the boys face.

"Nothing, it's just that couple." He chuckled. "They're having an argument because he didn't show up to their date last night. It was their anniversary."

"Dude, you can hear that?" Tucker asked, and Danny nodded. "Sweet."

They stared at the pleading man explaining to the girl, before she let out a furious noise and slapped him right across the face, throwing the flowers he had given her to the ground, and storming off.

Danny's laughter rose, and Tucker poked him in the shoulder. "What happened?" He asked.

"That was so stupid. He told her where he was." His laughter rose again.

"Where?" Sam prompted, feeling bad about eavesdropping on other people's lives. But also insanely curious.

"At her best friend's apartment, cheating on her. He thought if he told her the truth, she was forgive him." He laughed again, shaking his head. "Humans."

Sam's head jerked up, staring at her friend. _Did he just say what I think he said?_ She thought, looking over at Tucker. He shot her an equally shocked look, indicating he had caught it as well. They both turned to the third member of the party, who was still staring off into the park, oblivious to his friends shock.

"Uh, Danny?" Tucker asked, a little cautiously.

"Yeah? What is it?" Danny replied, looking over at him. Tucker stared at Sam for help.

"Um, you just said 'humans'. As in, not you. I mean, the way you said it implied you… uh… didn't consider yourself one." Sam finished for Tucker.

Danny blinked at her a few times, before speaking. "What? No I didn't."

"Yes, you did." Tucker insisted, glancing between his two friends. "I heard it to."

Danny stared at them for a bit, before a breath escaped his mouth, frosty and slightly bluer that usual. He turned to them, smile as gave a quick "Duty calls!" before turning and running from the scene.

**000000000000000**

"I don't know, Jazz. I can't actually tell if he was aware of it or not. You're the aspiring psychologist, not me." Sam sighed into her cell, flopping onto her black coated bed and pulling off her combat boots. "He seemed a bit… off after Skulker showed up so Tuck and I didn't mention it again."

There was a pause of the other end of the line. "You've noticed it too!" Sam gasped in realization.

"Yes." Jazz's answer was cautious. "I think he says it unintentionally, not even noticing what he's saying. Sam, you have to remember how hard this is for him. He can't really consider himself human anymore, with everything that's happened and everything he can do, but he can't consider himself a ghost either. We are actually lucky his psyche isn't more damaged by the fact that he is one of two halfas in the entire world and the only other person that can begin to understand how he feels is, for lack of a better term, a 'fruit-loop'."

Sam couldn't help but let out a little chuckle, before getting serious.

"We just have to remember that this is who he is now. We shouldn't try to make him more human, just like we shouldn't make him be more ghost. I think it's even hard keeping up the human façade at home and school now. We just need to let him be who he is, with gentle reminders that his acting skills around regular people sometimes need a bit of work."

**0000000000000**

Sam climbed the short ladder that led to the roof of the Fenton's opp center. Danny sat on the edge, staring up at the stars above him, not reacting to her arrival.

She closed the trap-door style hatch, her boots softly clunking against the metal as she made her way over to him. They sat, next to each other, staring up at the stars above them for a good five minutes before Danny finally said, "So…"

Sam jumped a little, not expecting the syllable, before raising he gaze upwards once more. "So."

He turned to her. "Sam listen, about earlier, I mean, I don't really know what happened, and I'm sorry-…"

"Danny." She cut him off. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Listen, I understand. You're different. I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have said anything, you just caught me a little off guard." His eyes had once again drifted skyward, and Sam sighed.

"Alright, so, you aren't human. There really isn't anything wrong with that. You aren't a ghost, either. There's definitely nothing wrong with that. Don't think of yourself as one or the other. Don't try to categorize yourself. Understand that when you are around Tucker or I, or Jazz, for that matter, you can be yourself. We understand, and if you want to rage about how stupid ghosts are, we'll listen. If you want to rant about how stupid humans are, we'll listen to that too." She looked over at him.

"Thanks, Sam." Danny's voice was soft almost a whisper.

"Just, try not to call Lancer a 'stupid human' in class, alright?" Danny let out a full hearty laugh, one which Sam quickly joined in on, laughing until Jazz finally came up to ask what was so funny.

**0000000**

**Bleh. Not that happy, but it's an update.**

**Alright! You have come to a fork in the road. Both paths lead to the city of Vlad, but how we get there is up to you. **

**One path is the popular head canon and question; Does Danny age?**

**The other is an AU, in which we find out how particularly evil ghosts can be, and how true halfas are born. **

**Review with either option one or option two, and I will write the more popular one for the next update.**

**(Note: I will not judge pairings that people like or any OTP's, but I do in fact find VladxDanny a little creepy. There's nothing wrong if you like it! but warning you that any Vlad fics on here will either have a rival relationship, a father/son, or something like that. Sorry to anyone hoping to find that here) **

**As always, I am looking for new head-canons to explore, so review your favorite! You might see a fic about it in the future! **

**Later gator,**

**NerdyWriterGirl**


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